Stop politically-motivated violence against CCC

The Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum (the Forum) unreservedly condemns the increase in political violence that has been recorded over the past month.

The Forum has noted a growing and disturbing trend in politically-motivated violence since the launch of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) in January 2022.

On January 27, 2022, six CCC members were arrested for wearing yellow t-shirts and helmets in the Harare CBD.

Plainclothes police officers severely assaulted the six during the arrest, and one of the six fractured his right arm.

They were detained overnight at Harare Central Police Station and were nefariously charged with disorderly conduct before being released on $2 000 bail each the following day.

This was followed by a similar incident on February 6, 2022 in which Zanu PF activists attacked CCC supporters during a campaign in Kwekwe.

Zanu PF supporters threw stones towards Kwekwe Central CCC supporter Judith Tobaiwa’s vehicle, destroying windows on the vehicle.

On Monday, February 14, 2022, CCC vicepresident Tendai Biti and his aide, Emmanuel Zellers Gumbo, were arrested by three armed police officers, including the Officerin-Charge of Rhodesville Police Station and taken to Harare Central Police Station's Law and Order Section.

Biti and his aide were released without charge after Forum member, Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights intervened.

Although this incident did not culminate into direct violence, the use of state security agents to further political agendas remains a cause for concern.

On February 16, 2022, CCC supporters were assaulted with iron bars by Zanu PF supporters in Harare East, where Biti is contesting against Zanu PF candidate Mavis Gumbo for the March 26 by-election.

They were assaulted for wearing yellow tshirts.

On 18 February 2022, a disabled CCC member known as DJ Vaneldo was also attacked by Zanu PF supporters at his home in Highfield.

His parents and people around the house were also assaulted.

On the same day, 13 CCC members were arrested in the afternoon by the ZRP for allegedly staging a car rally.

They were taken to Harare Central Police Station and charged with public violence for displaying their party leader Nelson Chamisa's poster on their vehicles.

Some of their vehicles were impounded. The 13 were assaulted by the police and declined access to medical services.

These recent incidents disregard the country's constitution.

Section 53 of the constitution of Zimbabwe entrenches the right to freedom from all forms of torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Under Section 216 of the constitution, the country's police service is called to protect and secure the lives of the people and uphold the constitution and enforce the law without fear, favour, or prejudice.

The Forum accordingly condemns the conduct of the ZRP, as the premier institution for enforcing the law and dictates of the constitution in what should be a non-partisan manner, for exhibiting partiality through its targeting of and clamping down on opposition political party leaders and perceived voices of political dissent.

The Forum reiterates that civil and political rights are guaranteed under the constitution as encapsulated under section 67 of the constitution, wherein every Zimbabwean citizen has the right to make political choices freely.

During the cycle of the Universal Periodical Review peer review, Justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi told the Committee Against Torture that Zimbabwe did not ratify the convention because it has domestic laws that adequately provide for anti-torture legislation.

It is the Forum’s position that this stance is manifestly inaccurate as the legal framework governing the criminal justice system in the country does not have the definition of torture or any definition that comes closer to criminalising acts of torture, inhuman, cruel, and degrading treatment

It is against this backdrop that the Forum urgently calls upon the government of Zimbabwe to take steps to fulfil its obligations arising out of the constitution of Zimbabwe to respect, promote and protect fundamental human rights and show this commitment to fulfil these obligations by:

● speaking out and condemning all acts of violence in the country.

● ensuring that the Independent Complaints Mechanism Bill is passed into law without delay.

● launching immediate investigations into the allegations of human rights violations being perpetrated by members of the police and to take appropriate action where it is necessary;

● creating a professional, impartial and accountable police force in Zimbabwe by ensuring that the ZRP immediately stops perpetrating human rights violations including but not limited to beatings, excessive use of force, torture and the intimidation of civilians;

● urgently enacting an independent complaints law and establish the independent complaints mechanism, required by the Constitution to ensure that perpetrators of violence are investigated and prosecuted fully and that victims and survivors of violence receive adequate compensation and rehabilitation, and

● ratifying the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (UNCAT).